Indian captain Virat Kohli most vulnerable to seaming balls rather than swing, new stats reveal

Australia has fresh hope in its bid to dethrone Virat ‘King’ Kohli thanks to a detailed analysis revealing the Indian captain’s main weakness. But the Aussies will have to take a risk to get their reward.

Indian skipper Virat Kohli is ready for the Aussies. Pic: Getty Images

Australian plans to bring Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli undone have been bolstered by a data-filled breakdown which reveals seam, not swing, is the key.

The quest to get the red ball moving through the air brought only created trouble for the Aussies in South Africa this year and recent summers without a swinging Kookaburra have frustrated the home town quicks.

But the pace-filled Aussie attack can move the ball off the seam and an analysis of all-conquering Kohli’s dismissals, found by coach Justin Langer and given to his players, is cause for great hope.

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Kohli has carved up attacks around the world in 2018 and the hunt for a way through the “King” has taken up significant chunks of Justin Langer’s time before Thursday’s series opener in Adelaide.

In 10 Test matches this year Kohli has racked up 1063 runs, at an average of just under 60, with four hundreds.

Virat Kohli has been in sublime form in 2018. Picture. Phil Hillyard

Last time he was in Australia, in 2014/15, he piled on 692 runs, with four hundreds, indicative of the battle Australia faces to contain him.

But in the search for help, Langer has found a statistical breakdown that could provide the answers he needs.

A CricViz analysis of every ball Kohli has faced in his eight Tests away from India this year

found that full pitched seaming balls, not swinging ones, are where Kohli is most vulnerable to getting out.

The analysis also found the Australian pace attack of Mitch Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins are able to extract enough movement to poke at Kohli’s area of vulnerability.

There is a risk involved with such a plan, because Kohli scores at a rapid rate when full-pitched bowling is in play.

But his dismissal rate to such bowling is so much higher than when balls are put on a good length, or bowled short, it is often worth a little pain to get the greatest gain, which is Kohli’s wicket.

Kohli feels the pain after losing his wicket against Australia in 2014. Picture: Colleen Petch

“He’s one of those guys who can score pretty freely, a number of the guys can in this Indian side, but sometimes those risks bring the most rewards as well,” Aussie quick Josh Hazlewood said on Monday when asked about Kohli.

“Our bowling attack, we’re very confident. Based on last year, we had quite a good template there and it worked pretty well, so we’ll be looking to replicate that.”

While it drilled down on Kohli’s batting, the analysis also highlighted the ability of Aussies bowlers to move the ball off the seam.

It found Pat Cummins extracted more movement off the pitch than through the air and concluded a full-pitched Aussie assault could “hurt” Kohli.

Test legend Ricky Ponting told cricket.com that if the ball was not moving Kohli was “hard to get out”.

The Aussies will try to extract maximum sideways movement against Kohli. Pic: Phil Hillyard

And former fast bowler Ryan Harris said whatever plan the Aussie attack came up with they had to stick to it, because Kohli could make even the best bowlers look bad.

“You have to be patient with it and you have got to try and put pressure on him,” Harris told cricinfo.

“You are going to bowl good balls but he is going to come out and play good and great shots. You have got to make sure you are clear with your plan, so that when he does play good shots, you are able to go back to that plan and bowl good balls again.”